Information on bidders for long-delayed helicopter service remains undisclosed, despite several deadlines having passed

The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has stated that it cannot disclose details regarding the parties that submitted proposals to provide helicopter services in the Maldives.

Despite the Ministry of Civil Aviation's refusal to disclose information, the Muizzu administration had previously announced that helicopter services would launch in March 2024.

Despite the initial timeline having long since passed, Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Ameen stated in an interview with PSM in July that an agreement to launch helicopter services in the Maldives would be finalized with a provider by August.

In the interview, Ameen stated that the evaluation of proposals from various parties to provide helicopter services has now been completed, and the process has reached the stage of drafting an agreement.

Despite the Minister's previous statement that the bid evaluation process had been completed, a written response sent to RaajjeTV dated August 4 stated that the identities of the bidders could not be disclosed. The Ministry cited the ongoing evaluation of proposals submitted for the project as the reason for withholding the information.

The Ministry further stated that a second announcement was issued to initiate helicopter services, and the evaluation of bids submitted in response is currently underway. However, the Ministry of Transport did not disclose the number of parties that applied.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has previously issued three separate invitations for proposals from parties interested in providing helicopter services. However, following the most recent announcement, the deadline for submissions was extended on March 23rd to April 20th.

As the government-mandated deadlines for launching the service continue to lapse, Minister Ameen stated that assessments were conducted under the guidance of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to introduce the service in the Maldives. He emphasized that only helicopters meeting the highest safety standards for operation would be utilized. During the People’s Majlis session held on October 27, 2025, Member for North Galolhu Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu) questioned Minister Ameen regarding the delays in launching the helicopter service, which the government had initially pledged to commence in March 2024. Responding to the inquiry, the Minister explained that the process for establishing Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety (RAMS) indicators had come to a standstill. He further noted that the previous legal framework surrounding the matter has now been concluded, and the project is being redesigned to open the bidding process for a new service provider.